Make-up such as eye liner and mascara can flake and drop into the eye causing irritation and inflammation. Persons suffering from allergies often suffer from dried mucous causing build up on the eyelids. In either case, hygienic practices require the area about the eye to be cleaned thoroughly to avoid complications such as blepharitis, conjunctivitis and inflammation of the tear ducts among other conditions. Several tools for cleaning areas about the eyes; especially swabs and wipes of various design have been described in the past. U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,742 to Balzarini describes a mascara applicator and remover wherein the remover is a beveled detailing tip that is saturated with a mascara remover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,454 to Hamburg describes an absorbent swab for use on the eyelids which is infused with an antibiotic. U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,682 to Shabo describes an applicator for scrubbing the eyelid with an absorbent tip which is pre-wetted with a liquid solution. While the foregoing articles work well for their intended use, problems persists. Absorbent materials are difficult to clean and can harbor bacteria and mold which necessitates their one-time use. Although a one-time use article may be indicated in cases of blepharitis, for a healthy person merely desiring to remove old cosmetics or other debris, one-time use is wasteful and costly. Another problem common to past articles is dependency on absorbent materials to remove oils and debris. Removing cosmetics frequently produces both fine and relatively large particles are dislodged, though not retained by absorbent swabs. Accordingly, use of absorbent swabs risks driving larger debris particles into the eye. Also, previous solutions have employed light, and sometimes insubstantial handles such as small tubular plastic, cardboard or wooden sticks that can fold, crumple, break or slip when applying sufficient force to remove, for example, caked on makeup. Accordingly, for at least the foregoing reasons, it would be especially desirable to provide a cleanable and reusable implement which can sufficiently retain oils, dust, and both fine and gross debris of organic or inorganic origin from areas surrounding the eyes. It would be additionally desirable if such an implement possessed an ergonomic handle being sized and shaped to permit sufficient force to be applied while maintaining fine control over the implement.